Israeli cybersecurity co SAM raises $3.5m

Specializing in home network security, the Tel Aviv company's platform is installed in 200,000 Bezeq routers.

Israeli home network cybersecurity company SAM came out of stealth today and announced the completion of a $3.5 million seed round, led by Blumberg Capital. SAM's cybersecurity software seamlessly integrates into any router, providing homeowners with a simple easy-to-use solution for protecting home networks and all connected devices.

With a spike in the number of connected devices per household coupled with a reluctance to upgrade home routers and firmware, the challenge of protecting home networks has become increasingly more difficult. To overcome this challenge, SAM has built an innovative and proven security solution that can be seamlessly installed on aftermarket home gateways with no impact on the user experience.

SAM's solution fingerprints and uniquely identifies every connected device on the network. Then, using its AI-powered cloud, the technology applies the appropriate security policy for each device and detects any occurrence of anomalies. Its virtual patching allows ISPs to deploy security fixes within days of their detection. For example, a fix for the recent Krack attack was deployed within 48 hours to hundreds of thousands of routers running on 15 different platforms.

SAM cofounder and CEO Sivan Rauscher said, "With SAM, Telecom providers now have the opportunity to offer an added security value to customers, and at the same time, they are armed with real-time data about the ongoing threats and infiltrations attempts. This allows them to deliver an unmatched comprehensive solution for secure home connectivity. Additionally, countless vulnerabilities within connected devices have already resulted in widespread attacks. Smart thermostats, gateways, baby monitors, televisions, and even baby toys have been demonstrated as hackable. As people continue to bring more of these devices into their homes, security both within home and the network will continue to be severely compromised. SAM was built to help solve this problem."

She told "Globes," "We founded the company in 2016, all of us graduates of the IDF's 8200 and 81 intelligence units and all of us with experience in network security. In May 2017, we signed a cooperation agreement with Bezeq and SAM's platform is installed on more than 200,000 Israeli routers."

The Tel Aviv-based company has 22 employees and its advisors include Nadav Zafrir, Israel Grimberg and Liran Grinberg, former leadership of Israel's elite intelligence unit 8200, and the founders of Team8, a leading cybersecurity think-tank and company creation platform.